2.
September 16, 2007Ephesians Lesson 10 What God Wants You to Know Ephesians 1:18-19 When you buy a new gadget, it comes with an owner’s manualthat tells you how to operate it. Many of us skim the manualquickly (at best), or never bother to read it at all. That’s too tedious,and besides, we think that we’re smart enough to figure this outwithout reading the directions. But then we can’t figure out whythis stupid product doesn’t work right! Maybe we need to go backand read the manual! God has given us His Word as the manual for our salvation. Ittells us all we need to know to walk with God and live wisely inlight of eternity. But, as we do with so many owner’s manuals, weread it superficially or hardly at all and then wonder why the Chris-tian life isn’t working the way it’s supposed to! We need to go backand read the manual carefully, asking God to give us His wisdomand understanding. In Ephesians 1:15-23, Paul is praying that God would give thesaints a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the true knowledge ofHim. In 1:18-19, he elaborates on what that means, namely, thatGod wants us to know three essentials about our salvation that willgive us assurance about our high calling as God’s people. They willgive us the hope and eternal perspective that we need to enduretrials. They will give us the strength to persevere in godliness.God wants you to know the hope of His calling, the riches ofthe glory of His inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of His power toward believers.1. To know these important truths, you must ask God to enlighten the eyes of your heart. The first phrase of verse 18 is literally, “the eyes of your hearthaving been enlightened.” I understand it to be explaining in morespecific detail Paul’s words in verse 17, that God would give us “aspirit of wisdom and of revelation in the true knowledge of Him.”To know these spiritual truths, God must open our eyes. 1

3.
Paul describes unbelievers as (Eph. 4:18), “being darkened intheir understanding, excluded from the life of God because of theignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.”In other words, sin blinds the minds of unbelievers and rendersthem incapable of understanding the truth of the gospel, unlessGod opens their blind eyes (2 Cor. 4:4, 6). But here, Paul is writing to believers (“saints,” “us who be-lieve,” 1:18, 19). Even though God has opened our eyes to see andbelieve in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, we still must seek Himto enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we will come to a deeperunderstanding of these crucial truths. “The eyes of our hearts” re-fers to our total inner person, which includes the intellect, theemotions, and the will. In other words, this is not just an intellec-tual ability to understand or teach these truths. There are seminaryprofessors who can exegete the Greek text here, but these glorioustruths do not thrill their hearts. The knowledge that Paul is prayingfor includes an intellectual grasp of the truth, but it also grips ouremotions and brings our will into greater submission to the lord-ship of Jesus Christ. Here is how this applies: As a believer, you are always in needof the Holy Spirit to enlighten the eyes of your heart to the greattruths of the Bible. Many Christians have a “stick your head in thesand” attitude when it comes to grappling with the difficult doc-trines of the Bible. They say, “I don’t bother with theology. I justlove Jesus.” Some even think that studying theology is spirituallydangerous. But they are being intellectually lazy and exposingthemselves to spiritual danger! Paul saw fit to teach simple believ-ers, many of whom were slaves, the great doctrines of Romans andEphesians and his other letters. Certainly, there is always the danger of spiritual pride thatcomes from thinking that you know more than others know. Thereis the danger of stopping at knowing doctrine, rather than allowingthe doctrines to give you greater personal knowledge of the God ofwhom the doctrines speak. But the antidote to these dangers is notto remain ignorant. Rather, it is constantly to be praying as youstudy the Word, “Lord, enlighten the eyes of my heart so that Imay know, love, and obey You better!” 2

4.
Having prayed then that God would enlighten the eyes of ourhearts, Paul specifies three things that God wants you to know:2. God wants you to know what is the hope of His calling. Paul later (4:4) will talk about “the hope of your calling,” buthere he refers to “the hope of His calling.” Why does he do that? A. The hope of His calling means that He took the initiative in our salvation. “Call” or “calling” is used with reference to salvation in twosenses. There is the general call of the gospel that goes out to allpeople. Jesus used the word in this sense when He said, “Many arecalled, but few are chosen” (Matt. 22:14). The invitation goes outto everyone: “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will besaved.” But many ignore the invitation or make up excuses for whythey cannot respond. But there is also the effectual call that always accomplishesGod’s purpose of saving His chosen people. Paul writes (Rom.8:30), “And these whom He predestined, He also called; and thesewhom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified,He also glorified.” That sequence is certain! Spurgeon comparedthe general call of the gospel to the sheet lightning that you see ona summer night. It gives off light, but it doesn’t strike anything inparticular. But the effectual call is the lightning bolt that connects.Paul always uses the word “call” to refer to this effectual call ofGod that actually saves the one called (Charles Hodge, Commentaryon the Epistle to the Ephesians [Eerdmans], p. 75). The practical application of this is that your salvation does notrest on your choosing Christ, but rather on His choosing you. AsPaul puts it (2 Tim. 1:9), God “has saved us and called us with aholy calling, not according to our works, but according to His ownpurpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from alleternity.” Knowing that you are saved because in eternity Godpurposed to save you and that His purpose is certain, will give youassurance you when you’re struggling with doubt or failure. It willencourage you to go on. It will fill you with thanksgiving, joy, andhope. It is “hope” that Paul here links with God’s effectual call: 3

5.
B. The hope of His calling is the certainty of increasing blessing and joy in Christ, beginning now and lasting through all eternity. Scholars are divided over whether “hope” refers to the sub-jective emotion or to the objective content of our promised bless-ings in Christ. In my opinion, you can’t separate the two, becausewhen your eyes are enlightened to know objectively all that Godhas promised to give you in Christ, it fills you with hope subjec-tively in your heart. Paul describes people who do not know Christ(Eph. 2:12) as, “strangers to the covenants of promise, having nohope and without God in the world.” But, as we’ve seen (1:13), believers have been “sealed in Himwith the Holy Spirit of promise.” Since God’s promises are as cer-tain as He is faithful, the hope of our calling is not some vague,wishful thinking that everything will work out for our good. Rather,if we are the called according to God’s purpose, then we know thatHe is actively working all things together for our good, both intime and in eternity (Rom. 8:28)! So even in the most difficult trials,we can be filled with hope (see Rom. 15:13). Thus as Christians, we should be filled with hope because weknow that God has called us to salvation. Our faith in Christ didnot originate with our feeble will, but with the sovereign, eternalwill of God. Thus we know that He will fulfill all of His promisesto us. We will be with Him forever in heaven, where there will beno suffering or tears or death. We will be perfect in righteousnessand in love for God and one another. We will enjoy perfect happi-ness in a perfect environment where nothing will be spoiled by sin.Even more, we will be in the presence of the One who loved usand redeemed us with His blood. Thus as 1 John 3:2-3 puts it, “Beloved, now we are children ofGod, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know thatwhen He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him justas He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifieshimself, just as He is pure.” So pray for others and for yourself,that God will enlighten the eyes of your heart through His Word sothat you will know what is the hope of His calling. 4

6.
3. God wants you to know what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. It would have been a tall prayer if Paul had prayed that wewould know God’s inheritance in the saints. It grows even tallerwhen he prays that we would know the glory of God’s inheritancein the saints. But it is mind-boggling when he prays that we willknow “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”!How can we begin to fathom a prayer like that? The Greek text may be interpreted in either of two ways.Some take it to mean, “the riches of the glory of the inheritancethat comes from God and is enjoyed among the saints.” In otherwords, they take it to be a prayer that we would come to know allof the spiritual blessings that God has given to us. In favor of thisview is the context of Ephesians 1 (verses 3, 11, & 14). Also, theparallel passage (Col. 1:12) refers to our sharing “in the inheritanceof the saints in Light.” Other Scriptures also refer to the inheri-tance that is stored up for those who are God’s children throughfaith in Christ (Acts 20:32; 26:18; Heb. 9:15; 1 Pet. 1:4). One argu-ment against taking it this way is that it becomes almost a repetitionof the first part of the prayer, to know the hope of His calling. Butthere are many good reasons to interpret the text this way. A second way to interpret it is that it refers to the inheritancethat God has in His people. In other words, we are God’s posses-sion, purchased by the blood of Christ. Thus we are His portion orinheritance which He will finally and ultimately possess throughouteternity. Many Old Testament texts speak of Israel as God’s chosenportion or inheritance. For example, Deuteronomy 32:9 says, “Forthe Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the allotment of His in-heritance.” Psalm 33:12 proclaims, “Blessed is the nation whoseGod is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His owninheritance.” (See, also, Deut. 4:20; 7:6; 9:26, 29; 1 Kings 8:51, 53Ps. 28:9; 33:12; 78:62, 71; 106:5, 40; Isa. 19:25; 47:6; 63:17; Jer.10:16; 51:19; etc.). In Ephesians 1-3, Paul is emphasizing that although the Gen-tiles were formerly alienated from God and strangers to His prom-ises to Israel, now in Christ they are equal members of God’scovenant people. Just as the Jews were formerly God’s chosen in- 5

7.
heritance, now His inheritance is in the saints, the church, made upof Jewish and Gentile believers on equal footing. New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce writes (The Epistles to theColossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians [Eerdmans], p. 270), “ThatGod should set such high value on a community of sinners, res-cued from perdition and still bearing too many traces of their for-mer state, might well seem incredible were it not made clear that hesees them in Christ, as from the beginning he chose them inChrist.” Why did God do this? Bruce adds (p. 271), “Paul prays herethat his readers may appreciate the value which God places onthem, his plan to accomplish his eternal purpose through them asthe first fruits of the reconciled universe of the future, in order thattheir lives may be in keeping with this high calling and that theymay accept in grateful humility the grace and glory thus lavished onthem.” Our future is that throughout eternity we will actually share inChrist’s glory! In Ephesians 5:27, Paul says that God’s aim is “thatHe might present to Himself the church, in all her glory, having nospot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy andblameless.” In Colossians 1:27, Paul says that to the saints, “Godwilled to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mys-tery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” While I can’t begin to explain this adequately (I need moreenlightenment from God!), Paul wants us to get a glimpse of ourglorious future so that we will live in light of it right now. Eitherway you interpret this phrase, whether we are heirs to a vast for-tune in heaven or whether we are God’s special inheritance (bothare true), the application is the same. We must live as citizens ofheaven who belong to God. We must live as saints, God’s holyones, separate from this evil world. Warren Wiersbe (Be Rich [Victor Books], pp. 13-14) writes,“When she was young, Victoria was shielded from the fact that shewould be the next ruling monarch of England lest this knowledgespoil her. When her teacher finally did let her discover for herselfthat she would one day be Queen of England, Victoria’s responsewas, ‘Then I will be good!’ Her life would be controlled by her po- 6

8.
sition. No matter where she was, Victoria was governed by the factthat she sat on the throne of England.” Even so, we will reign withChrist! Knowing that, we should live as His special people. So Paul asks God to enlighten the eyes of our hearts so thatwe will know what is the hope of His calling and what are theriches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Finally,4. God wants you to know what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Again, Paul piles up words to describe God’s power. It wouldseemingly be enough to mention the power of God, who is om-nipotent. But, Paul adds, “the surpassing greatness of His power,”and then goes on to say (1:19b-21) that this power is “in accor-dance with the working of the strength of His might which Hebrought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead andseated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above allrule and power and dominion, and every name that is named, notonly in this age but also in the one to come.” Wow! John Calvin helpfully explained why Paul throws in just aboutevery word that he can to describe God’s power towards us whobelieve. He said that godly people who are engaged in daily strug-gles with inward corruption realize that it requires nothing less thanthe surpassing greatness of God’s power to save us. He said thatwe never form adequate conceptions of the treasure of the gospel,or if we do, we can’t persuade ourselves that these things pertain tous, because they are so far from what we experience. Then he adds(Calvin s Commentaries [Baker reprint], on Eph. 1:19, p. 214): Paul’s object, therefore, was not only to impress the Ephe- sians with a deep sense of the value of Divine grace, but also to give them exalted views of the glory of Christ’s kingdom. That they might not be cast down by a view of their own un- worthiness, he exhorts them to consider the power of God; as if he had said, that their regeneration was no ordinary work of God, but was an astonishing exhibition of his power. There are at least six ways that God wants us as believers toknow the surpassing greatness of His power toward us: A. God wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power that saved us. 7

9.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones (God s Ultimate Purpose [Baker], pp. 391-422) argues at length that Paul is referring here to the power ofGod in raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life when Hesaved us. He argues (p. 391) that Paul’s object in this section is togive the saints assurance and certainty in their faith. Thus here Paulis emphasizing God’s power that already saved us rather than thepower that He gives to sustain us. In other words, if we now havecome to believe in Christ, we can know that it took nothing lessthan God’s mighty power to bring us to that point. Salvation is nota joint project, where we teamed up with God to bring it about.Rather, as Paul will go on to say, we were dead in our sins, but Godraised us up. Paul wants to encourage us as we realize that our sal-vation is evidence of God’s surpassingly great power at work in us. I agree that this is Paul’s main aim. But, also… B. God wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power that enables us to persevere through trials. In the parallel prayer in Colossians 1:11-12, Paul prays that wewould be “strengthened with all power, according to His gloriousmight, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyouslygiving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in theinheritance of the saints in Light.” In other words, God’s glorious,mighty power enables us to endure trials steadfastly, patiently, andjoyously, with a thankful heart to the Father. C. God wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power to overcome temptation and live in holiness. God’s mighty power has granted us all that we need for lifeand godliness, so that we can escape the corruption that is in theworld by lust (2 Pet. 1:3-4). His power provides the way of escapefrom every temptation that we face (1 Cor. 10:13; Eph. 6:10-13). D. God wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power to serve Him faithfully. Paul explained (Col. 1:29), “For this purpose also I labor,striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”Laboring in His power is the antidote to burnout. E. God wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power for everything that He has called us to do. 8

10.
Paul wrote (Phil. 4:13), “I can do all things through Him whostrengthens me.” He meant that he was able to face and accom-plish whatever God called him to do (see also, Eph. 3:20). F. God wants us to know the surpassing greatness of His power to keep us to the end. The fact that God exerted such mighty power to save us im-plies that His same mighty power will keep us. 1 Peter 1:5 says thatwe “are protected by the power of God through faith for a salva-tion ready to be revealed in the last time.” Jude 24-25 proclaims,“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and tomake you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with greatjoy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, beglory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and nowand forever. Amen.” As Paul shows (Rom. 8:30), the God whopredestined you and called you will also glorify you. Our salvationfrom start to finish is due to the surpassing greatness of His power! Conclusion So if you’re having problems in your Christian life, if thingsdon’t seem to be working as they should, maybe it’s time to goback and read the owner’s manual! But you can’t understand thismanual by mere human insight or wisdom. To understand it, youmust continually ask God to enlighten the eyes of your heart. Hewants you to know the hope of His calling, the riches of the gloryof His inheritance in the saints, and the surpassing greatness of Hispower toward you. To the extent that you understand these vastspiritual resources, you will enjoy God and glorify Him forever. Application Questions1. Why is it important to know “what is the hope of His calling”? What are the practical applications of this truth?2. Why is it important to know “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”? How does this apply?3. Why is it important to know “what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe”? How does this apply?4. If God’s power toward us is so great, why do so many Chris- tians fall into serious sin? Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2007, All Rights Reserved. 9